Sure Bet Carlson turns in another classical performance; Scouts takes fifth at State

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Lake Forest's Kylie Carlson takes off to start her first pass on floor at the urging of her teammates during the state meet at Palatine High School on Saturday. | Joel Lerner~Sun-Times Media

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Updated: March 24, 2012 8:51AM

Kylie Carlson, while on vacation last summer, checked out the Music Fountain Show at The Biaggio in Las Vegas.

The Lake Forest High School junior gymnast listened intently.

She heard violinists.

She thought about floor-exercise music.

At last weekend’s girls gymnastics state meet at Palatine, Carlson – a good bet to reach the floor finals, after reaching the floor finals in each of the last two seasons – danced and executed tumbling passes to epic sounds.

The predominant sound, in the early part of her floor music, was produced by … violinists.

Her new floor music blared in Friday’s prelims.

And in Saturday’s finals.

What happens in Vegas, ends up in Illinois.

“I liked what I heard last summer, and then I thought it would be good to use for my floor music this winter,” said Carlson.

Good thinking.

Carlson, the two-time reigning state runner-up on floor, finished third on floor (9.6) in Saturday’s event finals. She had bowed for a fifth-place medal (bars, 9.45) earlier.

“Kylie was so strong on floor, and beautiful on floor, all weekend,” Scouts coach Robin Straus said.

LF’s Kat McKeon, another brilliant junior, made it to Day 2 of the state-meet weekend for the second year in a row. She placed eighth on bars (9.4) on Saturday, a year after tying for fourth place on beam.

“I was thrilled with how she did,” Straus said.

Thrilled with her entire team, as well.

For the third year in a row, LF, runner-up last year, advanced to state as a team.

The Scouts were seeded eighth at the eight-team meet last weekend, because it had qualified as the last at-large squad.

But LF climbed to fifth after Friday’s prelims and stayed there after Saturday’s event finals.

Straus’ 32nd team at LF scored 144.5 points, just ahead of sixth-place Lyons Township (144.475.)

Carmel Catholic (151.175) claimed its third straight state championship, and Stevenson finished runner-up (149.175). Prairie Ridge co-op (148.175) and Fremd (146.65) went 3-4.

“We all wanted to get here, as a team,” Carlson noted after her floor show Saturday night. “I’m so happy we did.”

Brittany Moccia, and all-around state qualifier, was scared Friday afternoon. Briefly. The Lake Forest sophomore bruised her left knee on vault in the warm-up session before prelims.

But the thought of not competing also frightened her.

“I knew I had to push through for the team,” Moccia said.

She did just that, scoring a pair of 9.45s (vault, floor) and finishing 25th in the all-around (35.6).

“Brittany did such a good job of putting that behind her and helping us,” said Carlson, seventh in the all-around (37.475).

“We needed her.”

McKeon majored in 9s once against last weekend, averaging 9.269 (13th place) as an all-around qualifier.

Junior Carly Schmidt and freshman Laura Blake also competed for LF at state. Schmidt added a beam move (tuck back), and Blake hit her bars routine (7.55) – her first state routine.

So close: Carlson nearly qualified for a third finals event last weekend. Her 9.625 vault was 11th-best.

Only 10 advanced to the finals session.

The vault cut: 9.65.

Back at it: Carlson, McKeon and Moccia will compete at this weekend’s Midwest Open in Tinley Park, as members of Gurnee-based Ultimate Gymnastics.

‘Grand’ time: All four of Carlson’s grandparents (Priscilla and Gary; Gail and Tom) watched her perform at state last weekend.

Gail and Tom live in Champaign.

Down to 7: LF senior Katie Meier, whose gymnastics season ended in mid-December because of hip surgery, is looking at seven colleges, one in the Midwest (Illinois).

“The rest,” she said at state Friday, “are schools in the south. I’m very confused now. I hope, after visiting some of them, I become less confused.”

Flips: A Lake County girls gymnastics team has won state nine times since 2000. The breakdown: Barrington (2000); Stevenson (2001-04; ’09); and Carmel Catholic (2010-12). … LF went 6-0 in duals this winter, hiking Straus’ LF career record to 177-96. The Scouts edged Stevenson 145.25-145.15 on Dec. 7 and shared the overall NSC title with Stevenson. … LF, which captured a regional title on its home mats Jan. 31, finished second or third at six invites this winter, including the NSC Meet on Jan. 27.